How serious is stage fright? At the Hanging Hill Playhouse, it can kill you. After narrowly escaping a malevolent spirit in The Crossroads, Zack and Judy are hoping to relax during the rehearsals for a show based on Judy's best-selling children's books. Little do they know that the director is planning to raise a horde of evil specters from the dead, and to accomplish this, he needs a human sacrifice...and Zack fits the bill perfectly.

Your Likes make Audible better!

Publisher's Summary

How serious is stage fright? At the Hanging Hill Playhouse, it can kill you.

After narrowly escaping a malevolent spirit in The Crossroads, Zack and Judy are hoping to relax during the rehearsals for a show based on Judy's best-selling children's books. Little do they know that the director is planning to raise a horde of evil specters from the dead, and to accomplish this, he needs a human sacrifice...and Zack fits the bill perfectly.

This second book featuring the intrepid Zack and his stepmother, Judy, is full of the same humorous and spine-tingling storytelling that has made Chris Grabenstein a fast favorite with young and old alike.

What the Critics Say

"All in all, this successor to The Crossroads is a successful stand-alone. The story line is hauntingly delicious as the fully fleshed-out creepiness comes tempered with humor. It's a throwback to the kids' matinees of yore." (School Library Journal)

I bought this because my family loved the first book in this series (THE CROSSROADS) by the same author/narrator team. We all LOVED it! I think my kids (boy 9, girl 11) liked this one even more because it was so action packed. It takes place in a haunted theatre and it is full of great surprises. The narrator did an amazing job bringing these characters to life! There are many characters in the story & several of them are men (JJ Myers is female) and each character was very clear and different from the others which really helped us follow the story. This is a great listen for the whole family. I hope there will be more from this author/narrator team.

I have greatly enjoyed many of Grabenstein's works. It seems, to me, this would be an interesting story for maybe 10-14 year olds. I hate to disagree with the other reviewer, but found the narration to be torturous. I will be sure not to purchase books with this same narrator again. Most characters sound like the narrator is breathing helium. I was surprised it was published like this. I wish readers could give two ratings on the books purchased, one for the story and another for the reading.

Your report has been received. It will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.

Can't wait to hear more from this listener?

You can now follow your favorite reviewers on Audible.

When you follow another listener, we'll highlight the books they review, and even email* you a copy of any new reviews they write. You can un-follow a listener at any time to stop receiving their updates.

* If you already opted out of emails from Audible you will still get review emails by the listeners you follow.